Meet Lotte Amie | Content Creator & Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lotte Amie and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lotte, why did you pursue a creative career?
For me,
It was honestly never an option to not do something creative.
My very supportive parents have always wanted me to do something I’m truly passionate about; and this was also art for me, right from the start.

Not to be all cliche — But my love for illustration and storytelling truly did start as a young kid.
I used to tell stories with just my hair ties, shells I collected and my littlest pet shops; the plot lines were insane.
As a eldest daughter, I also loved directing YouTube videos with my siblings and forcing my brothers to help me out with filming my videos (they still help me sometimes nowadays).

When I started art school, it was so amazing to dive so deep into something im passionate about!
This was around the same time I started posting on social media and before I knew it; it took over my whole life.
There’s nothing I’d rather do. 🙂

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Yeesh. Wow.
Ehm, it feels kind of weird as I’m typing this out to talk about my art-
as I think I always feel like my work is never finished haha.
It’s hard for an artist to be content with what they make isn’t it?

But, I am coming to a point where I think I’m starting to create a pretty strong ‘niche’ (as they like to say) for myself.
I’m interested in SO MANY THINGS.
My brain gets triggered by satisfying-ly lined up houses, people on the train, weird-looking pigeons, trees, mountains but also nostalgia, memories and personal stories.
This much information and inspiration is hard for me to translate in just one singular way.
That’s why I like to call myself a mixed-media artist.

Mixed-media basically consists of a LOT of different art forms.
For me I would say my main art forms are having fun with funky cameras (digital, handycams, film cameras), different painting mediums (watercolour, gouache, acrylic, ink) and collaging it all together in a way that makes sense to me!

I’ve discovered ways that I love to tell stories; whether that’s through a simple instagram reel, a zine, a children’s book or an animation!
I think for a while it felt like I had to just pick one art form, in order to create a stronger ‘niche’.
That didn’t last very long.
It held me back from experimenting and finding an art form that truly feels like me- for a long time it felt like I was just copying people, trying things that weren’t working and getting frustrated.
But after years and years of trying different things I’m finally starting to get to a place now that all the art I create feels like me- like Lotte.

A true artist journey is never done, which is why I say I’m only now STARTING to feel like I’m getting somewhere that feels like me.

Attending an art school that emphasises finding your personal style has helped me so much with this process too.
I’m now in my third (out of four) year of my Illustration Bachelor.
I started out thinking I’d have a very specific style by now, but the more I create the more I realise I’ll never stop discovering new art forms that are interesting to me; it really is a never-ending process.
Which is exciting !! Experimenting and trying new things-even after art school- are so essential to keep growing as an artist!
Something that held me back from experimenting for a long time is being scared of creating something ugly.
News flash: most of the art I create when I’m starting something new is so UGLY.
And that’s okay! It’ fun and it helps me grow.

Honestly, a lot of the times my best ideas hide in the ugliness of just starting.
When something doesn’t look like anything yet, I’m only one sketch away from the best idea ever.

So no, being an artist and constantly creating isn’t easy; but definitely exciting!
Right now I’m learning a lot about letting go once a project is finished, the amount of rest we need as artist and to keep on experimenting. Right now, I’m excited to get more into animation; my new hyper fixation.

I hope my art will inspire others to try something new and have fun!!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Okay,
This is a hard question for me as I don’t really have a city to call ‘home’ right now.
I’m currently writing this as I’m on a school exchange in Boston and don’t think I feel qualified enough yet to show people around here- I’m still discovering it myself.
(I’m literally sitting in Harvard yard pretending to be a student here as we speak.)

So– I’ll pick my city back in the Netherlands that I study in after I come back from my exchange; Zwolle.
Zwolle is such a cute Dutch city and I have showed people around here countless of times already.
It’s so special that I’m at a point in my life now that long-distance friends I met whilst travelling are now flying to visit me in my home country!

First of all,
I would walk them around the city centre and show them all the places that hold nostalgic value for me.
Like the cat cafe I worked at for 2 years, the church that got turned into a beautiful bookstore, my favourite specialty coffee cafe, sit in the sun in the park and end the night with a typical Dutch dinner: pannenkoeken! ( A flat, big dutch pancake.) Oh, and we’ll probably get a fun drink and sit outside on a terrace afterwards. 😉

Of course, I’d also show them around my art school, ArtEz.
I have never visited another art school that feels quite as homey as my home institution.
The building used to me an old hospital and it got transformed into an art school about 25 years ago!
And want to know a crazy fun fact?
After I started attending school there, I found out my mom was born in the same building when it was still a hospital!
Talk about a full circle moment.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents!!
I love them so so much and truly would not be who am I or where I am without them!
I can always go to them for support, a cup of coffee, a hug or just a really good conversation.
They have never made me feel like my dreams were too big.

Website: https://lotteamie.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lotteamiee

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lotte-bax-57b8a5291/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lotteamie